Catalyst Chicago – Chicago Reporterhttps://www.chicagoreporter.com
Investigating race and poverty since 1972Thu, 09 Aug 2018 16:31:43 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8The question of tech equityhttps://www.chicagoreporter.com/the-question-of-tech-equity/
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/the-question-of-tech-equity/#commentsWed, 13 Jul 2016 11:00:19 +0000http://catalyst-chicago.org/?p=433958The red-brick building of Ashburn Community Elementary School sits on a quiet street of bungalows, two blocks from the commuter rail line that cuts through the city’s Far Southwest Side.

The principal, Jewel Diaz, is a veteran who’s led Ashburn since 2003, the year after it opened. Nearly all of her students are low-income children of color, and a survey the school conducted last year showed that dozens of them don’t have internet access at home. To make up for this, Diaz has tried to compensate at school.

But with a tight budget, Diaz says buying enough computers is like “trying to climb a different mountain” each year. Cuts are on the horizon, and new purchases for the coming school year will “go out the window.”

“Everyone should have the same playing field, but that’s just not how things work,” Diaz says. “So we find ourselves scrambling and being creative, trying to make sure our students have the same things as everyone else.”

Ashburn’s dilemma isn’t unique. Many Chicago public schools face similar problems, whether it’s a dearth of up-to-date computers, internet too slow to accommodate digital learning or a lack of teacher training on how to integrate technology into the classroom.

At a time when technology is becoming ever more deeply embedded in daily life and as a part of education, the digital divide in schools is particularly significant in Chicago.

Nearly 90 percent of CPS students are low-income children of color, and are more likely than their peers to lack the latest technology at home.

Janice Jackson, the district’s chief education officer, recognizes the disparities. Despite the district’s ongoing fiscal woes, she hopes CPS will be able to shift resources to help level the playing field.

“Why should students in a selective school have access to real-time media, computers and technology, [but not] students who weren’t lucky enough to attend a selective-enrollment school?” Jackson says. “For me, it’s an issue of equity and providing more access for children.”

The digital divide in schools compounds what low-income students often experience in their homes and communities. In the education world, the disparity is known as the “homework gap” because it limits students’ ability to complete their assignments outside of school.

Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, some 5 million households with school-age children lack high-speed internet access at home, and they are disproportionately low-income, black and Latino. Among Chicago schoolchildren in sixth through 12th grades, about 8 percent lack any kind of internet at home, according to a 2013 report by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. About one-quarter of students said they lacked a high-speed connection.

Other studies confirm those findings. A Harvard researcher found that poor Chicago households with children were less likely than other households to have high-speed internet, according to 2013 data. And Chicago ranked among the 25 worst-connected large cities for poor families, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s analysis of 2014 data. More than half the city’s households that have an annual income of $35,000 or less don’t have any internet access at home.

Geography illustrates the disparity. In many North Side communities, 80 percent or more of households have high-speed internet, but in some predominantly black parts of the South and West sides, that drops to 40 percent or less, according to 2014 Federal Communications Commission data.

Since 2011, the Mayor’s Office has partnered with Comcast on a program aimed at closing the homework gap by providing $10-a-month broadband internet and $150 computers to low-income families with school-age children. Some 35,000 Chicago households have connected to the internet through the program — more than in any other city.

Comcast has also set up “learning zones” in Chicago over the last three years to provide students and others with free access to the internet and computers at community organizations in neighborhoods with limited internet access. One zone spans Bronzeville, Englewood and North Lawndale, while a second is in Edgewater, Rogers Park and Uptown. A third, added this year, includes Fuller Park, Washington Park and Englewood.

* * *

But while the digital divide in homes is evident geographically, the digital revolution in schools is not.

Even though most schools lack extensive, up-to-date technology, a Catalyst Chicago analysis of data from fall 2015 found that the disparities don’t fall along the usual lines of race, class and community often seen in CPS. (To download the data, click here.)

Schools in the same neighborhood sometimes offer students vastly different exposure to technology. In Little Village, Castellanos Elementary School got a shipment of iPads when it became a “welcoming school” and took in children displaced by school closings in 2013; now, the school has more than two devices per child.

But a dozen blocks away at Spry Community Links High School, there was one device for every two students last fall. Since then, Principal Francisco Borras says, the school won some Chromebooks as a finalist for a competitive technology grant and purchased more. But to get to his desired ratio of one Chromebook per student, Borras is hoping another private grant will come through. “There is still overwhelmingly a need for access to technology,” he says.

The district tries to help needier schools by offering them donated equipment, a lower-cost leasing program and shopping events where schools can buy repurposed technology from within CPS.

But more than three-quarters of schools — 395 of 515 — still had less than one device per student last fall, whether a desktop, laptop or tablet, according to a Catalyst analysis. (The data doesn’t indicate the age of the devices and does not include charter schools.)

Principals have control over their technology purchases and not all believe one-to-one computing is necessary. But educators at low-income schools often say they would prefer for students to have their own device. CPS officials say they are working on a new technology plan that will support one-to-one initiatives.

“I believe that sharing is good, but it’s not good when it comes to technology,” Diaz says. “The student needs to have access to information quickly.”

* * *

Seventh-grader Whitley Royal, left, logs into 3-D modeling software at Disney Magnet School, which spends more on ed tech than most other district schools. She knows she’s lucky to have access to modern technology. “My dad works in a CPS school and is a computer teacher himself,” Royal says. “They only have 17 computers in one lab.”

Wealthier schools can rely on donations from parents or “friends of” fundraising groups to buy technology. Some schools, like Disney Magnet School in Uptown on the Far North Side, look for corporate partners. Disney Principal Kathleen Hagstrom says school leaders have to have a business perspective. “It’s up to individual schools to figure out how they’re going to get the resources,” she says.

But low-income schools are left to compete for a limited pool of foundation and nonprofit grants to offset the costs.

Some private funders specifically target low-income schools. But competition for these grants is tough and some funders are looking for schools in neighborhoods they consider a “good investment.”

One donor is kCura, a Chicago legal software company that’s awarded $250,000 technology grants to four schools over the last three years. This year, Funston Elementary in Logan Square beat out 56 other applicants, including Spry. kCura’s Dorie Blesoff says Funston stuck out because of its strong administrative leadership, involved community and ability to do “more with less.”

“We really have had no extra money for any type of technology this year, so this is enabling us to purchase things that otherwise our students literally would not have,” says Funston’s principal, Julie Hallums. The grant will pay for teacher training and an iPad or Chromebook for nearly every student.

But schools sometimes struggle to articulate well-thought-out plans that funders are looking for. “A lot of times, what we see is they don’t have that vision for themselves because there has not been an opportunity for them in the past,” says Trevor Drewry, who until recently oversaw workplace engagement and corporate giving at kCura.

District officials say they’re working to expand this program and are looking to bring in more companies interested in supporting schools in this way.

* * *

The more computers and other devices a school has, and the more students use them, the more internet bandwidth is needed. But many Chicago schools lack adequate connectivity.

Three years ago, the federal government launched ConnectED, an ambitious program aimed at bridging the digital divide for students in low-income schools, including those in rural, web-isolated areas.

Noting that just one in five U.S. students had access to high-speed internet in their schools, President Barack Obama called for targeting and increasing federal E-rate funds to bring faster broadband to 99 percent of students by 2018. E-rate reimburses schools and libraries for spending to upgrade internet connections and pays their phone and internet bills. High-poverty and rural schools get more money.

The ConnectED initiative has had some success nationally. According to EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit that advocates for better internet access in schools, 77 percent of the 6,800 districts that paid for broadband with E-rate last year met the federal government’s recommended target for internet connectivity. That’s up from 30 percent just two years prior.

But Chicago is not meeting the federal target for internet access of 100 kilobits per second per student — the minimum bandwidth experts say is necessary for digital learning. According to a Catalyst analysis of CPS data, 41 percent of 515 schools don’t meet the target, and just over half of those are among the city’s highest-poverty schools. (Data do not include charters.)

Chicago applied for $23 million in E-rate funds to upgrade internet connections in schools this year. But in the face of ongoing financial troubles, CPS didn’t finish the work it had proposed, and got just $3.8 million for upgrades in 50 schools. CPS has asked the federal government for an extension to finish the work so it can get the rest of the money. Without that permission, the remaining $19.2 million will disappear.

The 50 schools were chosen based on the age of their internet infrastructure, district officials said. Schools that had more problems with connectivity in the past or had an online learning initiative got higher priority.

Shoop Academy of Math, Science and Technology in Morgan Park on the Far Southwest Side was one of the 50.

When Mukarram arrived at Shoop three years ago, the school had just one laptop cart and a computer lab of outdated, often-broken machines. This year, the school has about 210 devices — or about one for every three students — including iPads and Chromebooks.

“Now we can have every device on and we don’t have to worry,” Mukarram says. “We can go full-blast and I know our building can handle personalized learning or web-based programs.”

Belmont-Cragin Elementary fourth-grader Bryanne Strzelczyk, left, works independently on a math program. Meanwhile, some of her classmates receive small group instruction from the teacher, while others play a counting game with cards on the floor.

Connectivity problems are especially common in older schools, something teacher Jason Pitak has seen at Belmont-Cragin Elementary, parts of which date back to 1920.

“Some areas of the school are dead zones,” Pitak says.

To reach the federal government’s even higher internet connectivity goal for 2018, significant investments will be needed. Catalyst found that just one in eight district-run schools met the government’s higher target of 1 megabit per second per student last fall.

CPS officials plan to upgrade connectivity at all elementary schools and to apply next year for an additional $8.8 million in E-rate funds for better broadband routers. High schools already have the fastest internet available.

“We will continue working to upgrade our schools so that each of our students has access to high-speed broadband, 1:1 technology and computer science education, among the other essential resources that a 21st century education requires,” CPS spokesman Michael Passman said in a statement.

Even with more computers and better internet, schools still need teachers with the right training to incorporate technology into their classrooms.

Yet the vast majority of schools lack a technology coordinator to implement digital learning and oversee technology. Just 125 schools had full-time technology coordinators as of this spring. A majority of those schools offer special programs focused on math, science and technology, or a selective program for higher-achieving students. In other schools, staff pull double duty to juggle technology responsibilities.

Training on how to use technology is especially critical in lower-income schools. Children in these schools are more likely to experience “passive” technology use, such as sitting at a computer to work on a reading program or complete an online worksheet, says Katrina Stevens, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, who spoke at a May panel for education reporters.

Schools with trained staff can use technology in more creative ways, like connecting online with scientists or other professionals, or teaching computer science to students.

The federal government has highlighted the need for better educator training — something that was encouraged through the ConnectED initiative. And the 2013 Consortium report on technology use in Chicago schools underscored the need for “ongoing professional development and professional learning communities for teachers” in technology.

Consortium researchers found that teachers at magnet and selective-enrollment schools felt more supported in their efforts to integrate technology into their teaching, compared to teachers elsewhere. And they were more likely to believe their schools were doing a good job preparing students to use technology proficiently.

Diaz, the Ashburn principal, encourages teachers to develop lessons to go along with educational software programs so students aren’t being told to “just go on” the computer.
For example, one seventh-grade teacher in her school uses the foundations of ThinkCERCA, a popular online reading program, to teach her students about building arguments.

Last school year, the teacher took her students to visit Chicago’s federal court building and Northside College Prep’s debate team, and then held a mock trial so students could practice what they’d learned.

“There has to be teacher interaction first for the program to work,” Diaz says. “To avoid passive learning you have to look at blended models that empower students and educators. You need to integrate effective teaching.”

Melissa Sanchez contributed to this story.

]]>https://www.chicagoreporter.com/the-question-of-tech-equity/feed/5Closing the digital divide for all studentshttps://www.chicagoreporter.com/closing-the-digital-divide-for-all-students/
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/closing-the-digital-divide-for-all-students/#respondWed, 13 Jul 2016 11:00:10 +0000http://catalyst-chicago.org/?p=434949I attended a neighborhood public school in Chicago where, from a very early age, I felt the difference between technology haves and have-nots.

As a teacher in the system, the impact of the same, persistent gaps are even more apparent — and troubling. According to a 2013 University of Chicago study, so-called “at-risk” youth in our city are less likely to use technology than their more affluent peers. The same report suggests that increased technology use is correlated with improved student outcomes, stating that “students in schools with higher-achieving students use computers and the internet more than other students, as do those who attend selective enrollment high schools.”

Why is it that, in an era of mobile computing, “freemium” apps and high-speed internet, our poorest students still lack access to the basic technology and tools they need to help them succeed?

Like many low-income public schools in Chicago at the time when I was growing up, my elementary school had a single computer lab equipped with desktop computers. And that lab wasn’t for everyone — it was only used by students who needed to do remedial, catch-up work. The first time I used a computer wasn’t until eighth grade, through a program for high-potential students that was designed to provide us with some exposure to technology before we entered high school.

I went on to enroll in Whitney Young High School, a selective-enrollment school. Suddenly, technology was everywhere. We had two computer labs, a TV production lab and a media lab. It was an amazing transition that made me feel empowered and trusted.

For the first time, I was in control of where my future was going — because I had the right tools at my fingertips.

This is where my passion for education began, and part of what drove me to become a teacher. I knew — even then — that if more students had access to these kinds of resources and experiences, it could be a game-changer for their future even if they came from impoverished backgrounds.

For the past 13 years, I’ve been teaching at Enrico Tonti Elementary School in Gage Park, a school that has the luxury of providing our students — most of whom are lower-income Latino children, a third of them English-learners — with access to technology. For many of our children, school is their best opportunity to learn how to use technology.

To offset tight budgets, we have applied for grants and other assistance whenever possible. The effort has been worth it. And Tonti has experienced academic success: Our school is a Level 1 school, and our test scores, especially in math, are higher than the national average on the NWEA, the major test the district administers each year.

Students use technology during the day to work on self-paced learning programs tailored to meet their current academic skills and help them achieve their potential. Starting in kindergarten, students learn how to handle devices, type and even code. Eventually, students learn to create digital content, and by fifth grade, they design their own websites. In a survey we gave, nine out of 10 students said that they pay more attention and focus better when using technology. Enrico Tonti is proof that technology can help students succeed.

Although our school district has come a long way since my time in elementary school, there’s still more we can and must do to narrow the technology gap. In a city where poverty and crime are closely linked, we must find ways to engage those of our young people who need opportunity the most. It’s the only way to bend the curve of systemic poverty and make our city safer and more prosperous.

Of course, technology is not an end in and of itself. It will not address the range of social and educational challenges our children face, inside and outside schools. But we must be aware of the message we are sending to our students if we fail to address the access barriers that exist within our system. Let’s be sure we are not forgetting our city’s most vulnerable youth, and that we are equipping them with the tools they need to succeed.

We’ve made some progress since my years as a student, but our work is not finished.

Jose Frausto is a technology teacher at Enrico Tonti Elementary School, chosen as an Innovative School of the Year by CPS. He also contributes to the Smarter Schools Project, a national forum highlighting the positive use of technology in the classroom.

]]>https://www.chicagoreporter.com/closing-the-digital-divide-for-all-students/feed/0Moving the legacy forwardhttps://www.chicagoreporter.com/moving-the-legacy-forward/
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/moving-the-legacy-forward/#commentsWed, 13 Jul 2016 11:00:07 +0000http://catalyst-chicago.org/?p=434881When Catalyst Chicago went to press with this issue, lawmakers in Springfield had finally passed a stopgap budget that will let schools open in the fall, in Chicago and in other districts that had sounded the alarm about possible shutdowns. After a year-long stalemate, the temporary budget will allow the wheels of state government to continue turning for a time. Low-income college students will receive long-awaited grants for tuition, road construction projects will move forward and social service programs will get an influx of much-needed cash.

But there’s no reason to breathe a sigh of relief, at least for longer than a few seconds. As one legislator aptly described it, the budget bill was nothing more than “a cowardly way to pretend we have done something” — conveniently before November, when all 118 state representatives and 40 of 59 state senators are up for re-election. A six-month budget only kicks the problem down the road and sets the stage for another stalemate in January.

With the bill, Chicago schools will get an extra $135 million in state aid and $205 million to pay toward teacher pensions, plus keep $74 million the district was projected to lose because of declining enrollment. The School Board also got the authority to levy another $250 million in property taxes to pay for pensions. The agreement, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, came after back-and-forth between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Democratic leaders, who initially asked for $650 million, and Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republicans, who wanted pension reform.

Even with the compromise, Chicago still must come up with another $300 million to close its deficit, and it’s unclear what the resulting impact will be on classrooms.
Further down the road, in 2017, the district’s pension bill for teachers will be $700 million.

Catalyst has reported on the annual budget crises in CPS, and the fight for school funding reform at the state level, since the publication was launched in 1990. The solutions over the past 25 years have ranged from the usual — one-time infusions of extra cash, accounting tricks, tax hikes — to the truly bizarre, as when, in 2006, then-governor-turned-federal-prisoner Rod Blagojevich proposed selling the Illinois Lottery to raise money for education.

What’s even more infuriating is that we, as citizens and taxpayers, have to tolerate lawmakers and a governor who repeatedly violate the public trust by refusing to acknowledge reality and fix our state’s fiscal problems.

It’s infuriating that our schools and colleges — not to mention our safety net of services for the most vulnerable, our parks, our roads, our public employees, every person and program that makes Illinois run — are left to rely on last-minute fixes rather than a real solution that would reform the state’s tax structure and funnel revenue to vital services.

What’s even more infuriating is that we, as citizens and taxpayers, have to tolerate lawmakers and a governor who repeatedly violate the public trust by refusing to acknowledge reality and fix our state’s fiscal problems. Let’s not forget that anger when we have a chance to do something with it: at the ballot box, not just this November but beyond.

In a world where even those children from the lowest-income households typically have their own cell phones, how real is the “digital divide?” As it turns out, quite real for children in Chicago Public Schools, as we report in this issue.

Schools in Chicago and elsewhere are turning more and more to “personalized learning” models that rely on technology, which adapts as children progress through increasingly difficult lessons. CEO Forrest Claypool has called it “the future of education.” But in CPS, that future is hazy: Most schools, especially those in lower-income communities of color, don’t have enough up-to-date computers, reliable internet or trained teachers to fully integrate technology into the classroom.

Some lower-income schools have flourished with the help of outside funding. But public schools shouldn’t have to rely on private philanthropy to provide a 21st Century education.

The digital divide is yet another sign of the inequity that children of color encounter in their schools. And our reporting makes our latest news especially relevant: Catalyst will soon merge with our sister non-profit media outlet, The Chicago Reporter.

For over 40 years, The Reporter has covered issues through the lens of race and inequality. Much of the dialogue around quality education intersects with discussions of race and class, especially as schools and districts become more diverse. And education is an important rung on the ladder of equal opportunity. For these reasons, the decision by our parent organization, Community Renewal Society, to merge its publications makes sense.

Because of the merger, this issue will be the last print issue of Catalyst. We will continue to publish our reporting online at catalyst-chicago.org until the merger is final in 2017 and education becomes part of The Reporter’s mission-driven reporting on race and inequality.

Join us online and on social media as we move Catalyst’s legacy forward.

]]>https://www.chicagoreporter.com/moving-the-legacy-forward/feed/1Dual language programs to expand, but fears over money lingerhttps://www.chicagoreporter.com/dual-language-programs-to-expand-but-fears-over-money-linger/
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/dual-language-programs-to-expand-but-fears-over-money-linger/#commentsThu, 07 Jul 2016 18:53:36 +0000http://catalyst-chicago.org/?p=424716When Dolores Cupp told parents at Hurley Elementary that the West Lawn school planned to launch a dual language program, she immediately saw a big spike in kindergarten enrollment—even before the program got started.

Nearly all of the students at the Southwest Side school are low-income and Latino, and nearly a third are still learning English. Parents believed a dual language program would help their children preserve their Spanish skills—which usually taper off by 8th grade—and give them bilingual skills that would give them an advantage in today’s global job market.

“The little ones get very excited when they say ‘I speak two languages,’” Cupp says. “The exciting thing is that it won’t only be when they’re little, but throughout their life.”

Hurley is one of five elementary schools that were chosen to launch new dual language programs, at a time when many communities across Chicago and the country are lobbying to replace traditional bilingual programs that emphasize learning English. Instead, dual language programs teach students in both English and a second language—in this case, Spanish.

The new push coincides with CPS’ adoption of a new policy that formally recognizes that students’ home languages and cultures are “assets” to be built upon while they acquire English skills. Plus, Illinois has launched a statewide effort to recognize high school graduates who demonstrate proficiency in English and one or more languages by awarding them with a “seal of biliteracy” on their transcripts.

In the past, top CPS officials were more focused on getting non-English speaking students to become proficient in English, which made dual language programs a tough sell.

But “this time around, it appears there is a commitment that’s coming from higher up,” says Sonia Soltero, an associate professor in DePaul University’s College of Education who has consulted with CPS on dual language.

Fiscal challenges to expansion

Along with Hurley, the other four schools chosen to launch programs are Azuela, Moos, Mozart and Spry. The schools will receive teacher training and a half-time coordinator paid for with federal funds.

By the time the new initiatives launch in the 2017-18 school year, Chicago Public Schools will have 20 such programs, with nine in neighborhood schools, three at magnets and three at charters.

But there are serious questions about how the district will sustain these programs, though district officials maintain that the Office of Language and Cultural Education has the necessary resources, including a specialist to oversee all 20 programs.

Already, parents at one dual language school, Linne Elementary in Avondale, say the program could be on the chopping block.

And Karen Garibay-Mulattieri, the former chief for the Office of Language and Cultural Education, is among those who fear that the district’s cuts will undermine progress. As chief, she spent as much as 30 percent of her time helping dual language principals, but shared her responsibility with a deputy—whose job has been eliminated.

Meanwhile, funding from The Chicago Community Trust that paid for some teacher training ended this year. And schools can have a hard time attracting and keeping teachers who have the necessary skills in both English and Spanish, who can easily find more lucrative jobs in suburban schools.

“You’re competing with districts that pay better and have more stability,” says Simeon Stumme, the board president of the Illinois Association of Multilingual Multicultural Education and an associate professor at Concordia University Chicago. “If you’re a really competent bilingual person, you can choose to work anywhere in the Chicago area.”

In fact, while Chicago’s Inter-American Magnet school in Lakeview has one of the oldest dual language programs in the country, the district has long lagged behind suburban districts in supporting the model.

In the late 1990s, under then-CEO Paul Vallas, some 30 dual language programs were launched. But without the proper support, very few survived after three or four years, Soltero recalls. The district tried again a decade later with a smaller group of schools and funding from the Trust and the federal stimulus package. Those programs survived.

“It’s better to start with smaller numbers that can have deeper support so they’re sustainable,” Soltero says.

In more affluent, suburban districts, dual language programs are often viewed as a way to help children who are learning English while also attracting middle- to upper-class families who want their children to learn a second language that will help them in the job market.

Judith Yturriago, who helped start Evanston’s dual language program 16 years ago, says that state money (which could be used for dual language or traditional programs), the potential for helping English-learners raise their achievement and the chance to have more integrated classrooms were selling points for parents.

Soon, homes near a dual language school became a hot commodity. “[We] used to get calls from realtors who had clients that wanted to move into the dual language school boundaries,” Yturriago says.

In Chicago, most of the 20 schools that will have a recognized dual language program serve predominantly low-income Latino students with a higher-than-average proportion of English-learners. Most are on the West, Southwest and Northwest sides of the city.

A push from the neighborhood

Community groups in Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Little Village and Pilsen have all pushed to expand dual language.

Garibay-Mulattieri, who is now the education manager at the Latino Policy Forum, says Chicago is unique because community organizations championed the concept quicker than CPS itself.

“They saw it as a way to prepare kids in elementary schools for [International Baccalaureate programs] in high school. They also saw it as a viable way to mitigate gentrification,” she says. “Particularly in Humboldt Park… They wanted to retain their heritage and their language and their culture in the community.”

Kindergarten bilingual teacher Yesenia Hinojosa works with a small group on pronunciation and spelling in Spanish at Hurley Elementary.

Several of the schools getting new dual language programs prepared for months, or even years.

Leticia Barrera, a Logan Square Neighborhood Association education organizer, says parents from nine area schools worked for two years, surveying other parents about their interest in dual language and then meeting with principals, local school councils and CPS administrators. In Logan Square, Mozart is slated to launch one of the new programs.

In the West Town/Humboldt Park community, the staff at Moos Elementary researched and toured other dual language schools for over a year and even created a video to explain the concept to parents.

Not all parents, especially newer immigrants, understand how dual language differs from traditional bilingual classes. That means parent education campaigns are crucial to spreading the model.

After holding focus groups this fall, Juan Cruz, an education organizer at Communities United, says his group found that many parents didn’t know the difference.

“The parents who wanted their kids in a bilingual program were [actually] talking about a dual program,” he says.

Communities United lobbied for a new program in Belmont Cragin or Albany Park, but didn’t get one.

]]>https://www.chicagoreporter.com/dual-language-programs-to-expand-but-fears-over-money-linger/feed/1At education summit, calls for more revenue for schoolshttps://www.chicagoreporter.com/at-education-summit-calls-for-more-revenue-for-schools/
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/at-education-summit-calls-for-more-revenue-for-schools/#commentsMon, 13 Jun 2016 19:57:49 +0000http://catalyst-chicago.org/?p=411379With no state aid headed to schools and the threat of more drastic budget cuts ahead, a diverse crowd of about 200 gathered over the weekend to discuss strategies for bringing additional revenue to schools.

Eleven aldermen and one state representative joined about 200 teachers, parents, activists and students at an education summit Saturday, calling for “progressive revenue solutions” for the financial crisis at Chicago Public Schools.

The event at the National Teachers Academy in the South Loop, was organized by the Chicago Teachers Union and co-sponsored by the Grassroots Educational Movement, Chicago Jobs with Justice, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 143, Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, and SEIU Local 73.

The “education summit” had been in the works for weeks, but ironically ended up being held a day after Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have spent nearly $4 billion on education and social services. Rauner said the bill was “an unfunded, empty promise.”

At the summit, speakers talked about the impact of budget cuts that have already hit schools this year and threats by CPS leaders of even more draconian cuts next fall if no help arrives from a deadlocked Springfield.

Karina Martinez, a student at Curie High School, described a leaking gym roof and how students aren’t allowed to take textbooks home because there aren’t enough for everybody. She said her orchestra class has 42 students and when instruments break, they have to ask “rich people” to make donations to fix them.

Matt Luskin, an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union, called on city and district leaders to stop blaming gridlock in Springfield for all the problems and instead support local revenue solutions, such as the redirection of tax-increment financing (TIF) dollars to schools, a tax on financial transactions and suing banks involved in the district’s so-called “toxic swaps.” City Treasurer Kurt Summers has endorsed the plan of suing banks, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel has so far declined to follow the recommendation.

He also urged city leaders to support a progressive tax.

“There is not going to be a solution from Springfield that will make all our problems go away by September,” he said.

Several aldermen in attendance — including many who are not part of the City Council’s progressive caucus — said they were interested in learning more about the CTU’s proposal and working with summit participants on finding a solution.

During a breakout session on sustainable community schools, Ald. Harry Osterman of the 48th Ward said the schools in his district are highly rated and attracting new families. But he said he’s worried about all schools and that “it’s a city issue.”

Other aldermen present included: Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward); John Arena (45th Ward); Pat Dowell (3rd Ward); Sophia King (4th Ward); Deb Mell (33rd Ward); Rick Munoz (22nd Ward); Chris Talliaferro (29th Ward); Nick Sposato (38th Ward); and George Cardenas (12th Ward), who showed up toward the end of the summit. Rep. Sonya Harper, a Democrat from the 6th District, which includes Englewood, also turned out. (See this Substance News story for more on what each elected official said.)